Wednesday, February 15, 2006

My Letter to the Georgia State Senate

NPR covered a story this morning on a Georgia bill, HB-941, which passed the State House of Representatives 140 to 26 on February 1st. Below is the letter I sent to my local senator before the State Senate votes on it.

Dear Senator:

A friend has brought to my attention the State House of Representative's overwhelming support for HB-941, authorizing counties to post documents relative to our country's religious heritage. I do not know your views on this bill, but as one of your constituents I want you to know mine.

While it is true that the greatness of this country comes from many sources, we would not have become great without our religious heritage. This is not a matter to be discerned according to the superficial standards of the so-called "culture war"; it is a matter of historical fact. The establishment of any government is the establishment of a system of values. Whether or not one wants to call these values "religious" is a personal decision, not a public standard whereby history can be suppressed according to ideological prejudice.

Our system of values, the root values that formed this great nation, are undeniably derived from the ethical principles of the Christian faith. Even the Deism of that day honored these principles, as we see in the works of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. We do not need a nation of "true believers", but we do need a majority that recognizes the wisdom and the justice of Christian ethics.

I believe that the public display of those documents that demonstrate the religious heritage of our country will promote public awareness and encourage discussion of the ethical principles that provide the foundation of our social order.

I strongly encourage you, Senator, to support this bill. If you have any reservations regarding it, I would like to know what they are.